How to Find Healthy Fast Food

A healthy diet doesn't have to stop just because you're in a rush. Use these ordering strategies to safely navigate fast-food drive-throughs

How to Find Healthy Fast Food A healthy diet doesn't have to stop just because you're in a rush. Use these ordering strategies to safely navigate fast-food drive-throughs

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Drive-through dining is as much a part of summer road trips as your GPS and the Black Eyed Peas. But you don't have to trash your diet just because your meal comes in a disposable bag. Most fast-food restaurants now offer healthy items on their menus, and even the ones that don't advertise stay-slim meals will usually prepare them for you anyway. Follow our handy cheat sheet to satisfy your fast-food craving for just a fraction of the fat and calories

Burger King
Ask for a Veggie Whopper (not to be confused with the BK Veggie Burger, which has 400 calories—surprisingly, 160 more than a single hamburger). This includes all the trappings of the Whopper—tomatoes, lettuce, mayo, ketchup, pickles, and onions on a toasted sesame-seed bun—minus the meat patty.

Pizza Hut
Order any pie "fit 'n delicious" style to get half the cheese and extra sauce and veggies.

Save: 400 calories for a personal pie; 100 to 300 calories per slice of a medium pizza

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
Although the option is no longer on the official menu, some franchises may honor a request for "naked chicken" (grilled chicken breast instead of fried) on sandwiches or in salads.

Save: About 100 calories

Qdoba Mexican Grill
Request that any burrito on the menu "go naked" and it will arrive without the standard four-ounce tortilla. This advice also works for salads that are served in a taco shell.

Save: 300 calories

Starbucks
Order any hot beverage in a "short" size and they'll shrink your drink to an eight-ounce cup.

Save: 140 to 350 calories

Add protein powder to any drink. For 30 calories, you'll add six grams of protein and one gram of fiber.

Subway
Order any sandwich as a salad.

Save: Up to 520 calories (depending on the size of the sandwich)

Wendy's
Ask for a "veggie" burger to get a sandwich sans patty.

Save: 220 calories, or get a junior-size hamburger and save 90 calories